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I review books of all types, but my favorite genres are young adult, new adult, paranormal, urban fantasy, mysteries of all types, and horror. I also like memoir and some non-fiction. Please email me at rasberryswrlgirl (at) hotmail (dot) com if you have a proposal for a book review, guest post, interview or other type of promotional post for your book. My turn around time is anywhere from a week to a month depending on my class load. When you email me, I will let you know what kind of time frame I can work with at that time.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Young Adult

Title: Matt Archer: Monster Hunter

Author - Kendra C. Highley

Date to be Published: October 19, 2012

Synopsis:

Matt Archer, an ordinary freshman living in Montana, discovers something unusual on a camping trip with his uncle. Monsters are real. And living in his backyard.

But that's not the half of it...throw in a mystical knife, a covert military unit of soldiers dedicated to eliminating walking nightmares, and a prophecy about a dark war, and Matt finds himself in a job he never imagined: monster hunter.

All this insanity will leave him wondering which is tougher--killing monsters, or asking Ella Mitchell for a date.

November 24 - My Reading Addiction - Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO

Kendra C. Highley

Author Bio:

Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to two self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most important job.

Kendra believes chocolate is a basic human right, running a 10k is harder than it sounds, and that everyone should learn to drive a stick-shift. She loves monsters, vacations, baking and listening to bad electronica.

More information about the Matt Archer universe, works in progress and the nature of the Higgs Boson* can be found at www.kendrachighley.com

I
watched the creature’s shadow get bigger and bigger as it headed my way. It
didn’t creep. It didn’t barrel toward me. It strolled, like it wasn’t the least
bit worried about what it would find inside the tent. Terrified or not,
something about its arrogance filled me with cold fury. My muscles burned and
my heart beat double-time; I probably didn't have a prayer, but I wasn't going
down without a fight. I sure as hell wasn’t going to sit by and let this thing
kill my uncle.

Uncle
Mike usually brought a rifle with him, just in case we met a bear, and he’d
made sure I could use it. I dug around in our bags, throwing clothes
everywhere, but the rifle wasn’t in the tent. The only thing I came up with was
a wicked-looking knife with a smooth bone handle. I pulled it out of the
leather sheath, shocked by its weight. It was much heavier than it looked and
my fingers buzzed, like the knife was vibrating in my hand. I must’ve been
shaking really hard.

I
gripped the handle of the knife, hoping I didn’t end up stabbing myself by
accident. The blade was longer than most hunting-knives I’d ever used—maybe
eight or nine inches—and honed to a sharp edge. I had no idea where Mike would
buy something like this, but one thing was for sure: no one would want to be on
the receiving end of this weapon. It looked like it could gut a buffalo.

The
creature walked the perimeter of the tent, brushing up against the nylon, and a
rancid scent wafted through the walls. I gagged and threw up a little in my
mouth. The stench reminded me of how the vent in my room smelled after my
guinea pig got loose and bought the farm in the air duct. Seriously freaked
out, I held still, clutching the knife so hard my knuckles ached. I was
planning to let the beast stalk around outside as long as it wanted. One thing
Mike taught me during paintball was to make your target do the work. If you
could be patient, you’d get the better strike, and I’d only have one shot.

The
beast paused and I took a gulp of cold air, knowing I wouldn’t have to wait
much longer. With a blur of claws, dark fur and sharp teeth, the thing crashed
into the tent, ripping the nylon with one slash. I didn’t have time to think or
even get a good look at it. When it pounced on top of me, I thrust the blade
into its stomach and twisted. The handle burned in my hand, glowing a faint
green.

The
beast howled and struggled against me, until I thought I’d drown in the reek of
its fur. Somehow, I squirmed out from underneath it just before it collapsed on
the floor of the tent. Once it was down, I stabbed it in the back, over and
over, swearing at the top of my lungs. Some kind of red-rage took control, and
I didn’t stop slashing until the thing shuddered and was still.

In
the quiet, I fell to my knees, shaking all over.

When
I could finally breathe without wheezing, I gathered up the last shreds of my
courage and found our lantern in the wreckage. Scared pissless or not, I wanted
to see what attacked me. Squaring my shoulders, I turned on the light.

Then
bit my own tongue trying to hold back a scream.

The
creature was misshapen, with a huge head, pointy ears and narrow snout, and it
had to be at least eight feet tall. Teeth like tusks protruded from its lower
jaw. It had brown fur like a grizzly’s and its paws looked like a bear’s too,
except bigger, with those brutal, velociraptor claws. If that wasn’t weird
enough, the thing’s arms and legs were long, like a man’s. It was like some mad
scientist threw a bunch of DNA into a blender and this is what came out.

What
the heck could it be? Was it some kind of alien? A scientific experiment gone horribly
wrong? Did we have a Dr. Frankenstein living in Billings? Seriously, the
creature looked like a resurrected Wookiee made from spare parts.

Utterly
creeped out, I pulled the knife out of the beast’s back and dropped it on the
ground. My hands had blood on them, dark stains glistening in the moonlight,
and now that I wasn’t fighting for my life, I shivered, half-freezing and
clueless about what to do next.